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The Natural


            Passion is definitely a marvelous thing that everyone hopes for and talks about once he or she has found it. However passion can be a horrible thing, and cloud your mind to the extent of making bad decisions look like good ones. A recurring theme in literature is the classic war between a passion and responsibility. Roy Hobbs, the protagonist in Bernard Malamud's novel The Natural, has just such a battle to overtake. Roy's "love" for Memo Paris is certainly influencing his decisions and in the way of his responsibilities. .
             Passion is a major part of The Natural and it seems as though Roy's passion always leads to the worst. Roy's passion for Harriet Bird results in a fifteen-year setback on his dream of becoming a professional baseball player. His passion for Iris ends with a pregnancy. The most important passion in the story is Roy's passion with Memo Paris. Roy always had his eye on Memo Paris and when Bump Bailey dies Roy wants her even more. Memo is hard to come by and she seems not to even acknowledge that Roy exists. The whole time Roy is concentrating on Memo, it seems like he continues to break records in baseball and with his leadership the Knights crawl out of the cellar. The reader is happy that Roy is finally achieving his dreams even after all of his setbacks, but still knows that Memo is not the girl for him. With time Roy seems to catch Memo's eye, and he wants badly to marry her. Memo says she wants the same but the reader is skeptical of her true intentions. This passion helps the overall story because it helps the reader feel sorry for Roy and it makes Roy's triumph greater than it would have if he would have entered the Pros at the age of 18.
             The story comes together piece by piece towards the end. The team makes it to the finals of National League pennant race thanks to Roy's outstanding efforts. However, Roy is far too old and worn out to play another year.


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